(State) Dry conditions were experienced across much of the northern two-thirds of the state in July, but many of us around here lucked out.
State Climatologist Justin Glisan reveals the preliminary statewide average precipitation was around 4″ or 0.2″ below normal. However, the 4.9″ of rainfall in Southwest Iowa was a shade more than the typical average. “Portions of Western and Southern Iowa saw anywhere from one to four inches above normal rainfall.”
Atlantic’s 4.87″ of rainfall are nearly half an inch above the 30-year average. The highest 24-hour rainfall occurred between 7:00 a.m. on July 30th to 7:00 a.m. on July 31st at 1.28 inches. Measurable precipation fell on seven days during the month. Glisan admits things have shifted in recent years when it comes to July precipitation. “From 1981 to 2010 we actually saw May, June, and July as the three wettest months of the year. In the new climatological normal from 1991 to 2020 we actually see a dip in statewide precipitation during July and then an uptick back in August.”
The average temperature for Southwest Iowa was 75 degrees or less than one degree below normal. The high temperature in Atlantic was 94 degrees on both July 28th and 29th. The coldest low came on July 12th at 53 degrees. The average high was 86 degrees and the average low was 64 degrees.
